twitter, facebook, and all your mobile devices. seal you at 6:00. welcome to "world news." tonight the breaking news. the phone call between president putin and obama. our correspondent right there asking who are the mysterious men gathering. disastrous driving this at with two major storms on the move. more than 100 cars crash. in the west, the funnel cloud caught on tape. our extreme weather team on it all. down the drain. the escape route through the bathtubs. what we're seeing after the arrest of the drug lord wanted here in america? deadly dose. new questions about a new drug.

why did the fda approve a painkiller after many of its own advisors warned against it? could one pill put a child in danger? good evening. and we do begin with fast-moving developments. the volatile situation in ukraine tonight. will president putin move in with military despite those warnings from the white house? we have learned of a phone call between president putin add obama right there in the oval office. that comes haurs after president dom warned there would be a cost if russia makes any military movement. we have two reports tonight. first abc's alex marquardt in ukraine where many are asking about the men in uniform gathering already. >> reporter: good evening. the russian military has been seen moving around here as mysterious unidentified pro- russia militia groups continuing seizing government buildings and airports. tonight the unrest is spreading.

in one city today, pro-russia democrat administrator beat supporters of the new ukrainian government forcing them to kneel. children, too. their faces bloodied. across this part of eastern ukraine, flags on government buildings torn down and replaced with russia's. from crimea to eastern cities along russia's border, russian fervor is growing. their efforts fueled with russia's vote tonight authorizing military force in ukraine. there is no mistaking the mood here in crimea where most see themselves not as ukrainians but as russians, and many would welcome the russian army with open arms. >> it's one people. belarus, russia, ukrainian, it's one people. >> you want the russian army to come here? >> it's our family. it's not russian army. it's our family. they protect us. >> reporter: as ukraine grows more and more divided, president

obama has warned russia against military action. there will be costs for any military intervention in ukraine. >> reporter: that american warning falling on deaf ears in moscow. tonight the president called for calm but said the military are at its highest alert level. i want to bring in our chief correspondent, jonathan karl, working this breaking story on a saturday night. we heard the president from 24 hours ago warning putin. now we learn of this phone call. do we know anything about what was said? >> reporter: white house officials told me the president called on putin to withdraw russian forces back to their bases. according to the white house the language used in this call was tough. the president called russian's action a clear violation and breach of international law. in terms of what he could do about it, the president raised the possibility the u.s. would cancel participation with russia in upcoming meetings including that big summit in sochi in june.

you reported military options were off the table. does that remain the case tonight? >> absolutely. there is no discussion with u.s. military involvement whatsoever. >> john, thank you. now to our other big headline, the fierce weather coast to coast. heavy snow and ice battering the middle of the country and moving east at this hour. out on the west coast, rain causing havoc on the roads. in denver heavy snow triggering a fatal pile-up of more than 100 cars. a family walking away on foot. and to the west, so much rain outside los angeles. highways turning into rivers. the hills have been stripped by fire, rivers of mud filling the streets. our weather team on it all. we begin with alex perez in chicago. >> reporter: in just seconds a saturday morning turned to chaos in colorado. snow and ice blamed on that pile-up in denver killing at least one person after temperatures plummeted 42

degrees in just one day. in montana three people recovering in the hospital after an avalanche came crashing into their homes. the entire town digging them out including an 8-year-old boy playing outside. another massive storm on the move. the winter just won't quit. >> it's terrible. >> reporter: this new storm narrow but long impacting 100 million people over some 1,500 miles. along the way, snow, ice and freezing rain from kansas in the central plains through the ohio valley and charging eastward dumping a wintry mix along the east coast by monday. take a look at this. not even the niagara falls a match for mother nature's biting cold. 60% of the waters frozen. from arkansas to west virginia they are keeping an eye on power lines. the heavy ice could lead to

widespread power outages. >> alex from chicago. >> the rain continues in the west. is it helping the state's historic drought. neighbors just now return to their homes. abc's dave right in there tonight. david. >> reporter: good evening, david. technically california is still in its worst drought in more than a century, but over the past 48 hours we have had more rain than in the past year. it's hard to fathom that when this week began, california was bone dry. these torrential rains bringing unusual sights. a funnel cloud near sacramento and in santa cruz this blow hole in a driveway. the ocean right next to the house. strong surf and high tide creating a mini geyser here in the foothills where fires burnt out the brush, mud slides. >> this is the plan. >> i don't want it coming this way. i want it going that way. >> reporter: yesterday ed and

amanda were trying to barricade their home. >> mud is coming down. we have got to go. >> reporter: today they were back long enough to survey the damage and rescue the cat. >> my wife and i came by. i have got the cat. i'm glad to tell you. >> reporter: the silver lining, all that water is filling up the reservoirs. a month ago we showed you the reservoir. normally this one would be right up to the brim. as you can see, the water level is way down. today still not quite full but it is much higher. but the drought isn't over yet. it's too much water too fast. a lot of it is flowing straight into the ocean. as you can imagine, the homeowners shell-shocked by this. one month ago they survived the wildfires. only now to be threatened by mud slides. david. >> thank you. i want to bring in our meteorologist shay ryan. shay, great to have you. the two systems now combining and heading eastward? >> yes.

take a look at the map. it's going to happen really quickly. that low over california combines with a cold front, and now in the track it's going further south. heads up to the southeastern states. >> how much snow and ice? >> widespread four to eight inches. in the area darkest pink, eight inches up to a foot. there's the ice accumulation on top of that, and there are going to be places at risk for up to three-quarters of an inch of accumulation. >> and out to the west, the rain. >> take a look at these images. the tent over the red carpet. look at this. oscar covered in plastic. 24 hours from now will they be able to take the plastic off? >> they will. it's great timing. we're only looking at a chance of a passing shower and a temperature of 61. now to a developing headline from china tonight. a horrific scene in china. men armed with jives entering a train station and taking aim. look at this image. a policeman taking charge.

abc reporting in from beijing for us right now. >> reporter: according to china's state run xinhua news, a gang of men wielding knives dressed in black stormed the train station in kunming, the capitol of china's yunnan province. authorities are calling it a premeditated terrorist attack. survivors describing scenes of bloodshed. i saw a person come after me with a long knife and ran away. china gun laws are the toughest in the world. in recent years they have seen massive stabbings. a december two 12 spree targeting school children. seven children died in one attack in 2010. the government has blamed some of the past attacks on the mentally unstable. individuals protesting the leadership. the motive for this attack is still unknown.

gloria, abc news, beijing. difficult scene from china. thank you. back here at home where the u.s. justice department is now reviewing the death of a man who local authorities called accidental. but after his own family stepped in, to find his body, they reported their discovery of unexplained injuries. abc on the case tonight. >> reporter: the mysterious death of alfred wright is under a microscope. the 28-year-old married father of three found dead in november in east texas. authorities said he died of a dug overdose, a finding his family rejects. >> that was not like alfred to run from his responsibilities. >> reporter: wright's body was found in an area police claimed they searched, and a second autopsy conduct from the family found injuries that suggest homicide. so tonight federal prosecutors are now reviewing the case and will decide whether or not to open a full investigation.

wright's family believes the investigation by the local sheriff who did not return calls today is flawed. >> they have not interviewed the family. they have not searched the truck. they just didn't do the due diligence that you demand from law enforcement. >> reporter: in a letter urging the justice department to act, congresswoman has said he died in a part of texas with a documented history of racial violence against african-americans, a reference to the gruesome 1998 dragging murder of james byrd in jasper. the question now, whether that's where the similarities end or begin. now to the medical story involving a painkiller. the drug is called zohydro. many are asking is it needed? did the fda ignore warnings by approving it? >> reporter: dozens of doctors are up in arms urging the fda to

revoke its approval of what they call a new dangerous high-dose drug that can have up to 10 times more narcotic than vicodin. >> when you pack this into a single pill, it's easy for somebody to overdose and die. >> reporter: the fda's committee votes 11-2 against approving the dug, but the agency did it anyway. the concern is listed on the drug's prescribing literature. accidental consumption of one dose of itss personally by children can result in respiratory depression and death due to an overdose of hydrocodone. the fda says it should be reserved for use in patients for whom alternative treatment options are ineffective, not tolerated or otherwise inadequate. and the drug's manufacturer says there is a documented patient need for an extended release

hydrocodone medicine without acetaminophen. we remain confident in the measures we have proposed to support safe use of zohydro er. and the fda is requiring more studies to look at risks and abuse with long-term use. it hits the market this month. now out west and to the oscars this weekend and one man up for best films. "american hustle." brian ross knows firsthand. he covered it years ago. tonight he sits down with the con man behind it all. what he wants now. >> reporter: the movie "american hustle" is based on the real- life fbi sting on congress called abscam. it was a huge scandal when it was first revealed 34 years ago. one of the first big stories i broke as a network correspondent. investigators calling operation

abscam the most important since watergate. the tapes of congressmen captivated a country. it focused attention on the con man and fbi informant who was behind it all. in "american hustle" he is called irving played by christian bale. bale is a dead ringer for the actual con man and informant right down to the tinted glasses and hair comb-over. his name is mel weinberg. now 89 years old living in florida and rooting for bail to win an oscar. that's you? the hair and everything? >> yeah. that's the way my hair combed over. he had me down pat. >> reporter: weinberg's biggest complaint is the casting of his wife played by jennifer lawrence who he says seemed hotter than his mistress played by amy adams. >> it should have been the other way around. somebody's mistress should always be hotter than your wife. >> reporter: but weinberg says

he is perfectly happy as he is portrayed as the great american hustler. still hoping something is in it for him now. >> if the movie wins, maybe i'll see some money from it. >> reporter: from a true con man, that's always the bottom line. the real man behind the movie. our thanks to brian and a much younger brian. still still much more ahead. life styles of the rich and notorious. the escape routes revealed. the bottom of the bathtub. after that drug lord wanted in america is captured. and to this country's most expensive high school stadiums, $60 million, suddenly shut down. is that money well spent when we come back?

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tonight here, some revealing photos emerging after the arrest of el chapo, the drug lord arrested one week ago. now the elaborate homes and escape routes seen in the bathroom. abc's aditi roy. >> reporter: the world's most powerful and ruthless drug lord lived a modest life. his estimated net worth was $1 billion according to forbes magazine placing him on the world's most powerful list. lived in ordinary homes, seven in total, in mexico. newly released video and pictures reveal these houses. the drug lord's homes were far from ordinary. moveable bathtubs with steel ladders to a series of high-tech tunnels. lighting and air-conditioning inside. the passageways leading to his other safe homes or water-filled sewers that allowed guzman to escape authorities.

he was arrested in a hotel last week. he escaped prison in 2001, he is now in a high security prison awaiting possible extradition to the u.s. >> escapes enunder the bathtub. when we come back, an oscar quiz. which actress up for an oscar had more time on screen that anyone else? during much of that time she was simply breathing. but your erectile dysfunction - that could be a question of blood flow. cialis tadalafil for daily use helps you be ready anytime the moment's right. you can be more confident in your ability to be ready. and the same cialis is the only daily ed tablet approved to treat ed and symptoms of bph, like needing to go frequently or urgently. tell your doctor about all your medical conditions and medications, and ask if your heart is healthy enough for sexual activity. do not take cialis if you take nitrates for chest pain, as this may cause an unsafe drop in blood pressure. do not drink alcohol in excess with cialis. side effects may include headache, upset stomach,

delayed backache or muscle ache. to avoid long-term injury, seek immediate medical help for an erection lasting more than 4 hours. if you have any sudden decrease or loss in hearing or vision, or if you have any allergic reactions such as rash, hives, swelling of the lips, tongue or throat, or difficulty breathing or swallowing, stop taking cialis and get medical help right away. ask your doctor about cialis for daily use and a 30-tablet free trial.

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two years indefinitely because of serious cracks in the concrete concourse. to the oscars tonight. many of us captivated by her performance in gravity. we have learned that sandra bullock occupied a whopping 87% of the film's running time. the most of any actor this year. an analysis by the new york times finds during most of her 75 minutes on screen she was simply breathing. it will be the center stage stage at the oscars tomorrow night. here's a preview. perrel rocking rehearsals. this the video of his viral sensation, happy. nominated for best original song. and we'll be hearing another original hit at the oscars tomorrow night. tony award winning animated blockbuster "frozen". a little best than our version earlier this week.

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we showed you earlier the red carpet not looking so red covered in plastic tonight. the rain expected to clear tomorrow making way for the dresses. who picks them?

behind the scenes tonight. >> reporter: the awards may be presented inside. but these days outside on the red carpet winners and losers are also crowned. the stakes are make or break high. >> a dress can change things for girls. >> reporter: a fashion fail can hurt more than feelings. it can harm your career. two of the biggest celebrity stylists, leslie fremar and karla welch, pulled back the curtain of that secret world for us. >> are these the oscar dresses? >> these are the oscar dresses. >> this thing must weigh ten pounds. >> at least. >> reporter: to snag one requires months of negotiations, strategizing and sometimes even sharp elbows. >> only one person gets the dress. >> reporter: it helps when you have clients like she does, julianne moore, charlize theron, and scarlett johansson. she shows us some designs her

clients have worn. >> this is an old dress. got mixed reviews. i really like it. >> reporter: this dress was largely panned. >> cinnabun. >> what do you do when you hear it's been less than 100% successful? >> you call her and say are you okay, and she'll be like, i'm fine. the next time it's going to a home run. >> reporter: of course, it's not just oscar season. they're busy year-round. if you put a dress on one that someone has once worn? >> that is the death of a stylist. >> it still has to be fun. you're walking down this red carpet, and everyone is screaming your name. abc news, los angeles. high stakes and nerves behind the scenes. our oscar coverage kicks off tomorrow 7:00 eastern and 4:00 pacific here on abc. i hope to see you back here tomorrow night. good night. you back here tomorrow night. good night.

>> next as 6:00. new storm damage across the bay area. it's not the rain but the wind and waves that are to blame today. bay area reaction to the international crisis in ukraine. tonight the call from local ukraineians about the troubling situation in crimea. abc7 news at 6:00 starts now. a live look from the mt. tam cam showing clear sky tonight. a break in the rain, but it's the wind and high surf that is causing the most problems. one of the biggest problems spots has been in the south bay and santa cruz county. sergio kin fan na is live.

>> right now you can see that west cliff drive is down to one lane of vehicle traffic but a peddans are using the opposite laid. the sidewalk itself is blocked off. let me show you why. right over there, there's a sinkhole that measures 10 feet by 10 feet and then drops about 50 feet down to the ocean level below. city crews say they cordoned off a large area because they're not sure if that sinkhole might grow. the sinkhole formed after waves washed out rocks from a cave that reaches from the beach below to the street above. >> the water with the heavy storm surge came up through the hole and came up to the surface. reporter: through the year cities crews have tried to plug up the hole and even installed vents to keep the cave from growing. jennifer was among the people